


Right there were you left it (lying upside down)

by magznus



Series: TPP [6]
Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Literal Sleeping Together, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:47:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24246751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magznus/pseuds/magznus
Summary: missing moments between Buddy and Vespa after they reunite.Buddy is doing her best to help Vespa return to the life they had before, but some issues can't be taken away that easily.Tpp wlw week: day two hurt/comfort
Relationships: Buddy Aurinko/Vespa
Series: TPP [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1639732
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19
Collections: READ MORE WLW FIC COWARDS





	Right there were you left it (lying upside down)

Buddy watched as Jet and Juno disappeared over the horizon. Personally she still thought that it was too soon for Juno to be going back to Hyperion and that he should recover for longer, but he had insisted and she was much too distracted to argue with him.  
Sitting on the other side of the main room of the lighthouse was Vespa. She was sitting in the same chair she had been in for almost four hours while Buddy was helping the boys prepare to leave, curled in on herself with her eyes watching the room warily. She looked both so different and similar to the last time Buddy had seen her. The same bright green hair that caught your eye from every angle, and her eyes though duller were the same bright, intelligent, grey that saw every little detail.  
Buddy approached her slowly, Vespa had always been easily startled, and if the last few days had proven anything that had only gotten worse. Once she was standing only a few feet away Buddy spoke up.  
“Vespa darling?” She spoke quietly and yet Vespa still looked up violently. “Would you like to go upstairs?”  
“Um...Yeah,” Vespa didn’t move.  
Buddy smiled at her, holding out her hand for Vespa to take. It took a few minutes to pull her out of her curled position, once standing she moved slowly and only when Buddy pulled gently at her hand. They made their way through the lighthouse and up the old stairs towards the single small bedroom.  
The room was never really meant to be lived in, originally it had been meant to only be used as somewhere for the former employees to crash after a long shift. There was a small bed that hardly fit one person comfortably and a nightstand that had a few of Buddy’s things. After she had taken over the lighthouse over seven years ago it had become the main place she would sleep. She had only really added a small dresser for her clothes and a chair and desk where she could do any paperwork she had.  
It was easy to steer Vespa towards the bed, a gentle push on her shoulders had her sitting down on the very edge. Buddy ran a hand down her face gently, earning a small smile before turning away to grab clothes more suitable for both of them to sleep in. Vespa was much shorter than Buddy and had lost a lot of weight since the last time they had shared clothes.  
After a moment she settled on two old shirts that she hadn’t touched in months. They were worn and soft and wouldn’t be too abrasive on the senses. She handed one over to Vespa who grabbed it tentatively before quickly turning away from Buddy before beginning to change. The hurt only lasted for a moment as Buddy herself changed and then turned to find Vespa sitting on the bed and sheepishly holding the blankets open for her.  
It was a moment of wiggling and struggling to fit together on the mattress. For a second, while they moved Buddy looked up and found the old Vespa looking back at her. The same bright eyes with a hint of mischief sparkling in them stared at Buddy for just a moment. A moment that lasted an eternity as they both stilled their movements and stared at each other.  
“Hi,” Vespa’s voice was scratchy, she had hardly said anything since their first reunion.  
“Hi” Buddy let her head fall down onto her side of the single pillow she had.  
Vespa lowed herself down next to Buddy on the pillow, her arm falling between them in the sliver of empty space. It was such a small gesture, one that Buddy almost didn’t think of as the last fifteen years slipped to the back of her mind. She reacher forward and grabbed onto Vespa’s hand, it was smaller than her own but just as calloused and aged.  
A small twitch in Vespa’s hand was the only sign of the time that had passed between them. Their fingers slipped together like a well-worn puzzle and Buddy felt a warmth she hadn’t in years fill her soul. It only took a second for them to pull together, becoming a familiar tangle of limbs on the bed.  
“Buddy,” The word seemed to get caught in her throat partway through “Bud, I..”  
“I know love,” Buddy smiled, squeezing her hand “I love you, Vespa.”  
Vespa smiled back. “I love you too Bud. I just missed you so much, and I thought I would never see you again.”  
“It’s alright Vespa,” Buddy reached her hand up to play with the hair that had fallen into her face. “I’m here now love, and nothing is going to change that. I won’t let them hurt ever again.”  
“I know Bud, I trust you.” She curled even closer to Buddy, settling happily into her arms.  
It felt wonderful to once again not be two single people but for their soul to feel as though they had merged into one. Legs curled around each other, arms wrapped around backs as fingers slid down spines and into graying hair.  
There was still hurt and pain and trauma to be dealt with, fifteen years of separation to work though for both of them. But in the silence of the small bedroom at the top of the lighthouse at the edge of the Cerberus Providence, they were able to retune to the people they used to be. If only for a moment.

Buddy woke up suddenly, the warmth beside her pulling away with a soft grumble. She opened her eyes quickly to find Vespa standing up and looking around the room desperately. Buddy sat up slowly, not wanting to cause her any more distress than she was already experiencing.  
“Vespa? Darling, what’s wrong?” She spoke softly, but it was useless in the silent room.  
Spinning around Vespa looked down at her with desperate and terrified eyes. Her hands were clenching and unclenching almost violently as though she was trying to grab onto something that wasn’t there.  
“I...I can’t” She began to look around the room again “I need it!”  
“Need what darling?” Buddy began to stand slowly and walk towards Vespa’s side of the bed.  
“If they come back, I can’t…… I need to protect you or else” She was close to hyperventilating now, no longer looking for what Buddy assumed was a weapon and instead moving her hands up to clench at her hair in desperation.  
“Oh darling,” Buddy stepped into her space carefully, watching for even the slightest flinch. “It’s alright, we are safe here I promise.”  
“No, no they’ll come. They are going hurt us again Bud, they’ll take you again!” She looked close to tears and Buddy wanted nothing more than to hold her in her arms and let her cry freely for the first time in fifteen years.  
“Vespa, darling. They are never going to hurt you again, I won’t let them.” Buddy held her arms out tentatively, “May I touch you?”  
It took a moment, the panic still evident in her eyes before Vespa nodded with a single jerk. Buddy moved slowly, letting her hands fall ontop of Vespa’s and slowly beginning to pull the tight hands out of her hair. She had them almost completely relaxed before Vespa gave in entirely.  
Her whole body seemed to give up as her arms fell to her side and she slumped forward into Buddy’s arms. Now that the tension bright on by panic was released she began to tremble. Tears began to fall as she cried into Buddy’s shirt. Buddy caught her easily, holding her up while rubbing her back and playing with her hair gently. She whispered into Vespa’s ear, soft I love you’s and gentle we are safe now’s.  
A quick glance to the clock on the wall revealed that it was half-past three, still early enough to justify going back to sleep without much of a fuss. Buddy steered both of them back towards the bed slowly, she only struggled for a moment when Vespa refused to let her let go as she tried to part them so that they could lay down. It was only a second as she figured out how to lower them both down at once.  
Vespa was quick to curl into her the second they were on the bed, her legs coming up and wrapping around Buddy’s middle while her arms clung tightly to her kneck. Buddy ended up on her back, sandwiched between Vespa and the mattress. She happily accepted the new position and held Vespa tighter to her while her words turned into a soft hum.  
Sleep had always come slowly to Vespa, but now in the middle of the night safe in Buddy’s arms, she found herself unable to keep her eyes open for more than a few seconds. As her grip loosened Buddy continued to play with her hair and rub her back. She continued until the sun began to rise, refusing to allow Vespa to feel anything but safe in her arms.


End file.
